


End of the Show

by PartyDuck



Category: Library of Ruina (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Clowns/Coulrophobia, Emma and Noah are my special interest for some reason, Even though they're minor characters I love them so much, Friends to Lovers, Implied Body Horror, M/M, Possible Triggers:
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28380924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartyDuck/pseuds/PartyDuck
Summary: Emma and Noah try to cope with the aftereffects of distortion, and learn some more about each other as they do so.This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so please bear with me if I mess anything up! I've decided to try to better my writing skills through writing about my passions.
Relationships: Emma/Noah (Library of Ruina)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Awakening

Emma slowly sat upright, his whole body aching. He knew he was awake, but why couldn't he see? Something about his body felt... off. Tentatively, he raised his hand to his face, feeling around his eyes. They were gone. As panic set in, he called out to the only person he could think of.

"Noah," he cried, instinctively twisting his head around despite being unable to see, "Are you there? Noah, please! Talk to me!"

"I'm here," a small voice replied. A rustling noise came from the corner of the room, and Emma tried to stand up to get closer to it. He stumbled, then fell. Had he grown taller? His limbs felt longer and heavier - he hadn't noticed in his panic. "Hold on, Em. Let me adjust to how everything looks. I think I'm seeing double." More rustling noises came from the corner, louder than before. Noah shrieked, and his voice wavered. "Where the hell are my legs?"

"Your legs?" Emma ran his hand down his leg, trying to figure out what had happened. He felt scars on them, as if extra parts had been sewn on. "Do you... do you think I might have..?" Throat going dry, he fumbled for the right way to put it. Had he taken Noah's legs? How? He could never do that to his best friend. He'd spent so much time with him. He was closer to him than anyone else.

"By the looks of it, you have, indeed, stolen my legs. Knowing you, you wouldn't have the guts to do that, so someone else must have done this to us. I bet it was that Oswald guy."

"Are you sure? He was a little creepy, but I don't think he was ill-natured."

"I'm not sure, but the evidence adds up. We come to that creepy 8 o'clock circus, ask to join, then black out and end up like this? Pretty suspicious."

Footsteps accompanied by bells jingling entered the room. A cheerful laugh followed it.

"Guilty as charged, but not in the negative sense! I guarantee, you will be much happier like this. You've undergone a process called distortion, which is when your bodies change themselves to fit your dreams. I went through it myself, which is why I look the way I do. The circus is full of distorted individuals, which is why people love us! Don't you want to come and help us make our audience happy?" Oswald remarked. Emma felt his eyes burning into him and felt deeply unsettled.

"Well, what good are we now? Might as well become part of the freak show." Noah sighed, dragging himself across the floor to Emma. He let out a small gasp. "Hey, Em! Feel your chest! I think you'll like what's happened." Emma felt his body again, slowly becoming accustomed to its strange new proportions.

"Top... top surgery scars? Oswald, does distortion turn you into an idealised version of yourself?" Emma queried as a smile crept onto his face.

"Of sorts, yes. It senses what will help you be your happiest self and uses that information to make you into a better version of you." the clown replied. "I will say, it did an awfully good job with the subcutaneous mastectomy for a magical force. The scars are very neat."

Noah put his hand on Emma's shoulder. "I know you've wanted this for a long time, but were always worried about the costs. It's great that you got this for free." The grip on Emma's shoulder softened. "Your happiness... it's all I care about. Emma, I-"

Oswald broke into the conversation. "Come on, you two! I've got some wonderful outfits made for you two. There's even a place for Noah to sit on Emma's shoulder!"

"I can..." Noah began, happiness bleeding into his voice. Emma put his arm around him. "I can watch the world and skies from a higher place."


	2. Stay

Emma gently lowered Noah off of his shoulder, hearing him let out a small murmur as he was placed on his bed. They had been at the circus for a few months now, and the smiles on peoples' faces made the exhaustion worth it. After feeling around for a blanket, Emma draped it over Noah and sat down on the floor next to him. Both of them were breathing deeply, having spent the last few hours doing their biggest show yet in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the circus. Subconsciously, Emma found himself breathing in sync with Noah. After spending so much time being codependent, they had ended up closer than ever before. Hearing him mumbling in his sleep calmed Emma. No matter the situation, his voice was soothing. They could be caught up in some huge battle, lives on the line, but as long as he could hear Noah's voice he would be okay.

"Em? You up?" Noah asked, his voice so quiet it could blow away in the breeze.

"Yeah. I'm just calming down after all that excitement." he replied, moving his head slightly towards the noise. Even after months of blindness, there were some habits that he couldn't shake.

"Good. I wanted to ask you something. Something... important." There was a waver in Noah's voice, as if he was suddenly nervous.

"Go ahead. I'm listening, like always, heh."

"Could you promise to stay by each others' sides 'till the end? You're all I have left. You're my beacon of hope in this messed up world. Please, could you stay by my side?"

"Of course! You're my best friend. Please don't tell me that you're considering doing something that would... risk your life?"

"No, not at all. I've just been feeling different lately," Noah suddely became quieter, "I've been feeling different in regards to you."

Different about him? That could mean a whole range of things. Possibilities raced through his head. All were equally confusing.

"Could you possibly elaborate a little?" Emma inquired, suddenly worried. A few stutters came from Noah, before he sighed and finally managed to speak.

"I think I love you."

Silence followed Noah's statement. It was an extensive, painful silence. Processing it was hard. Sexuality was something usually considered taboo in the 10th wing. Nobody talked about it, and those who did were targeted for all sorts of organised crime. Most people avoided relationships altogether. It was too risky to spend money in the backstreets, and too hard to form emotional connections in the nests. Personally, Emma knew that he was interested in men, but never thought that Noah would also feel the same way.

Then it clicked.

"I think I'm in love with you, too." he breathed, so quietly that he knew it would only reach its intended ears.

There was a gasp from Noah, then silence. This silence was different. Instead of a tense silence, it was a joyous one. Neither party could think of what to say. They just knew they were relieved to have their feelings returned.

* * *

As the rustling of the circus animals awakening swirled around the bunkhouse, Emma slowly came to his senses. Last night had seemed like he had imagined it. He had never thought that he could fall for Noah, let alone have his feelings returned. The more he thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Out of all the things he could remember from when he was sighted, Noah's eternally exhausted face was the thing he could recall most vividly. Ever since their distortion, Noah seemed to long to be close to him, often asking to be held even when they weren't moving. He felt happier than ever when with him. When everything was put together, it created a wonderful picture.

"Morning, all!" Oswald cried, his cheery voice booming in the quiet room. "I forgot to thank you for last night's show. You all performed incredibly! It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years since I started this little act... and I was 38 then! Still feeling fresh as a kipper, though!" There was a small noise as Noah dragged the blanket over his head.

"I'm surprised that your damn voicebox isn't busted, considering you've probably been shrieking like that for the past 14600 days. Don't you ever get a sore throat?" he grumbled, obviously still tired from the day before. A cacophony of bells indicated that Oswald was shaking his head. "It'd almost be better if you did get one'a those. We could all get a lie-in for once. Aren't lions supposed to sleep for something like 16 hours a day?"

"No, no, Noah! We're all distorted, remember? You've got four eyes there. Surely you haven't overlooked the fact that even the animals here look odd?"

"Well, their sleep needs may have changed with distortion, but mine sure haven't. There's no show on today, so can't we spend a little longer in here?"

"If you must." Oswald replied, still cheery as ever despite Noah's distaste for their everyday routine. "Today is a free day, so feel free to come and play some horseshoes with me if you're feeling a bit sunnier later!"

Noah sighed. Emma put his hand on his shoulder, smiling. He felt his companion's fond gaze on him. No matter what happened, they would stay together. _He_ needed to stay. For Noah's sake.


End file.
